Today, the headline of the Paris Daily reads: "Real Estate Mogul Luc Beroul's Only Daughter Charlotte Beroul Kidnapped at Birthday Party! Police Yet to Find Useful Clues, Wealthy Miss in Perilous Situation!!"
The fact is that for nearly half a month, nearly all major media in Paris has been dominated by similar news. The kidnapping of a rich man's child not only brings news value but also enriches the gossip of the common people. However, when dozens of top billionaires' children are successively kidnapped, the result is not necessarily the pleasure of gossip but rather a panic that swept through France and even the whole world.
Tremendous pressure, from the Elysée Palace[1] to the Foreign Offices, has pressed down on the Paris Police Department. From the Chief of Police to the ordinary officers, everyone's hair turned gray with worry. The kidnapping cases weighing on them were not ordinary; the parents of those missing children were influential figures who could shake the global financial world with a snap of their fingers.
City of Romance, Fashion Capital, City of Luxury – these once glorious titles had become harsh jokes. In the eyes of the public, Paris was now a city of terror.
"No leads at all." André testily pushed aside the documents he had read countless times, stood up, and walked to the window. He sarcastically addressed the air outside the Paris Police Department HQ, "If this continues, the parents of those kids will probably hire an army to wipe out the Paris Police Department. Right, Liang?"
André had been a policeman for twenty years and had cracked numerous kidnapping cases. This was the first time he felt completely helpless. Without exception, the children of the rich and powerful disappeared in full view of numerous bodyguards, and the kidnappers left no trail. There were no ransom demands received afterward, which defied common sense and left the police with no starting point.
The young man sitting across from him had black hair, an Eastern face, and was leisurely sipping instant coffee while leaning back in his office chair. His tie was loosely draped over a slightly open snow-white collar, and a black suit jacket was casually thrown on the sofa, covered with a messy stack of gossip magazines.
André turned his head and realized the person behind him seemed utterly disinterested in his words. The impatient police officer stepped forward and slammed his palm onto the table, "Are you even listening to me?"
Everything on the table jumped up with the force of his slap, then settled back down with a clatter, including the man's coffee, which was scared into jumping out of the mug due to the sudden commotion and splattered on his shirt.
"Hey!" The man, awakened as if from a dream, jumped up, grabbed a tissue, and frantically wiped while exclaiming, "Senior[2], this shirt is very expensive!"
André stared at him in silence, holding back a lot of words that finally turned into a sigh.
A week ago, the young son of a wealthy Chinese tycoon was kidnapped while touring Paris. Due to the complexity of the case and in accordance with the Sino-French Criminal Judicial Cooperation Agreement, China sent a seasoned police officer to Paris to assist in the investigation.
When André first saw Mu Yeliang[3] standing in front of him, he simply couldn't believe that this young man who looked more handsome than a movie star could be a "seasoned police officer." His suspicions were unfortunately soon confirmed. Aside from following André around everyday like mere formality, providing occasional Chinese translation, and indulging in eating, drinking, and sleeping, Mu Yeliang seemed to have made no significant contributions. Such a person could actually become a police officer. André seriously couldn't understand how his superiors could assign him such a useless assistant.
"Senior, in many cases, the crime solving rate is inversely proportional to the temper of the investigating officer!" Mu Yeliang poured another cup of coffee, cheerfully placing it in front of André. "There must be flaws in every case; be patient!"
"I'd like to be patient, but this is a kidnapping case. Every day we delay, the victim will be in more danger. Do you have any idea of the pressure from above!" André couldn't stand Mu Yeliang's seemingly naive attitude and forcefully gulped down a large sip of coffee. "It's only been a week; there's not a single clue about the Chinese kid and now Luc Beroul's daughter has also been kidnapped. Those kidnappers are playing this game like it's a walk in the supermarket! Damn it!" The more André thought about it, the more frustrated he became, smacking himself hard on the forehead. Since the day Charlotte Beroul was kidnapped, he had barely slept for a total of three hours in three days.
Mu Yeliang sympathetically looked at André, patting his shoulder. "Senior, sometimes victory or defeat isn't about who is stronger or smarter but who can stay calm."
"What else can you do besides talking?" André got angrier as he listened.
Ring, ring, ring! The phone rang urgently. André fished the handset out from under a pile of documents, grabbing it. "Hello... What? The kidnappers sent a letter to all the parents of the victims?! Alright... I'll be right there."
Throwing the phone aside, André jumped up as if injected with adrenaline, shouting at Mu Yeliang, "Why aren't you moving yet?!"
"Where to?" Mu Yeliang asked, bewildered.
"Mortier HQ, DGSE!" André grabbed the back of his collar, dragging the kid towards the door without hesitation.
"DGSE[4]? France's external intelligence headquarters? Hey, hey! Senior, slow down! I haven't grabbed my jacket yet!"
Footnotes:
[1] The Élysée Palace is the official residence of the President of the French Republic.
[2] Mu Yeliang actually uses 大叔 which translates to uncle. In Asian countries, it's common for younger individuals to address older people with a term equivalent to "uncle" or "auntie" as a sign of respect, even if they are not biologically related, reflecting a cultural norm of showing respect to elders.
[3] 穆 野 凉. Mu is a surname; as a word it means calm, solemn. 野 means limit, field, wild. 凉 means cool, cold, to let something cool down.
[4] Directorate-General for External Security (French: Direction générale de la Sécurité extérieure, DGSE) is France's foreign intelligence agency, equivalent to the British MI6 and the American CIA. The DGSE HQ is located at 141 Boulevard Mortier in the 20th arrondissement in Paris.
Translator:
Luc Beroul is translated from 吕克 贝鲁尔. If you know which name this transliteration (贝鲁尔) stands for, do let me know.
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